US EditionTrump Firing Top Official May Undercut Trust in Labor Statistics
UNITED STATES, AUG 7 – Trump fired BLS Commissioner Erika McEntarfer after the August 1 report showed only 73,000 new jobs added and revised previous months down by 258,000, sparking widespread criticism.
- On August 1st, President Donald Trump fired BLS Commissioner Erika McEntarfer after a report showed 73,000 jobs added in July and 258,000 revised downward from previous months.
- Amid months of rate-cut warnings, the president seized on weak data after a downward revision of over 818,000 jobs on November 15, 2024.
- Amid the controversy, experts defended data integrity, with Michael Horrigan, head of the W. E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research, calling rigging accusations 100 percent unjustified.
- Amid protests, analysts warned that public trust in official statistics depends on confidence in the numbers, as Heidi Shierholz cited in protest.
- Over the long term, the new commissioner will influence White House–Bureau of Labor Statistics relations, as the 2026 fiscal year budget proposal cuts BLS funding by 8 percent and experts warn resource shortfalls hinder modernization.
17 Articles
17 Articles
Syracuse NY
ClevelandEditorial cartoons for Aug. 10, 2025: Trump vs. statistics, Texas redistricting, vaccines canceled
Editorial cartoonists caught up with President Donald Trump’s firing of the Bureau of Labor Statistics commissioner after she signed off on a particularly weak jobs report.
Ex-Trump official Scaramucci deflates president's 'ridiculous' jobs chart stunt
Donald Trump's latest attempt to clean up the mess he created after firing the head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) because he was furious over the latest poor jobs report was laughed off by a former member of his first administration.Appearing on MSNBC with host Mika Brzezinski, former Trum...
The Conversation
Bureau of Labor Statistics tells the US what’s up with the economy – Trump firing its top official may undercut trust in its data
Isador Lubin, chief of the Bureau of Labor Statistics, presents data to a Senate committee in 1937. Library of CongressMany financial and political analysts are trying to assess the impact of President Donald Trump’s decision to fire U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Commissioner Erika McEntarfer on Aug. 1, 2025, the same day that an unemployment report conveyed weakness in the job market. Some of the strongest criticism of this unprecedented move…
Colorado Springs Gazette
Trump made the right call ousting Bureau of Labor Statistics leader, but for the wrong reason
After six months of haranguing the Federal Reserve to slash the federal funds rate despite a persistently strong economy, President Donald Trump finally got a data point proving his case that the labor market is likely softening. The Bureau of…
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